Sean Akizuki's East Asian Drama and Movie Blog

It's the Year of the Snake. Japan also celebrates the Lunar New Year, which lasts 15 days in China (and Taiwan). It's back to work today. Let's take a look back at memory lane for snake-themed Kamen Riders. Evil Kamen Riders have become a staple -- sometimes even being the final villains such as N-Daguva-Zeba, Evolt, and Kamen Rider Ark One (who keeps reminding me of Venjix from Power Rangers RPM ). Snakes have been a common theme for the MOTW in Kamen Rider . However, Kamen Rider these days have the more serialized storytelling akin to a telenovela. That's why I write about Kamen Rider here but only from Kamen Rider Kuuga up to the present. However, I decided not to do episode reviews and just do random drops of newer stuff and older stuff. Now, for the time when a snake-themed Kamen Rider was created. Takeshi Asakura/Kamen Rider Ouja is a truly terrifying cobra The Cobra is often a popular theme for villains. Who can remember G.I. Joe's main villain organization i...

I've been obsessing over South Korean legal dramas. This time, it's The Auditors . The plot deals with auditors and corporate corruption. It may remind some of Love Story in Harvard where legal matters were added. It doesn't have romance as a plot. Instead, it's all about investigating corporate corruption within JU Construction. It also talks about business ethics. It can make you ask the question, "Are you willing to have a quick profit at the cost of others?" The main character Shin Ah Il (Shin Ka Hyun) is a sharp loner. The other auditors are Goo Han Soo (Lee Jung Ha) as a rookie employee and Yeon Seo Jin (Jo A Ram). Fortunately, A Ram isn't used for eye candy and contributes to the plot. The team gets involved with a family feud. Jing Woo delightfully plays the main villain Hwang Dae Woong -- a man who harmed his own two older siblings just so he could slowly take over. Corporate corruption has caused many lives -- both employees and customers alike. ...

It should be sad that one of Taiwan's most prolific writers ENDED HER LIFE -- not died of old age! Qiong Yao was 86 years old. I was shocked to read this news from Channel News Asia : Well-known Taiwanese romance novelist Chiung Yao has died at the age of 86 in an apparent suicide. The local fire department said on Wednesday (Dec 4) that Chiung was found dead in her home in New Taipei City. Her son said she had left a note instructing her secretary to check on her at noon, news outlet TVBS reported. Despite the secretary calling for an ambulance immediately after discovering her body, Chiung was pronounced dead at the scene. My first exposure to her works was the 2000s drama Romance in the Rain . This was the entry point where I'd also learn of the 1986 version starring Chin Han and Leanne Liu. Leanne's version of Lu Yiping had a stronger impact. Leanne made me wish Barbie Xu were Yiping in 2001. Chin Han made me wish Jerry Yan were He Shuhuan. YouTube also provided a porta...

Crime drama can be that complex. I'd admit that my squeamish side entered as the show ended yesterday. I'd avoid writing spoilers unless I specify in the title otherwise. Talking about crime drama without inciting spoilers is difficult or even impossible.  Jang Tae-Soo (Han Suk-Kyu) is a legendary criminal profiler Korea. He was one of the first in his field and paved the way for criminal behavior analyst in the country. He has gained the absolute respect and trust within the police organization. At home, he is a single parent and raises his daughter Jang Ha-Bin (Chae Won-Bin) by himself. Jang Tae-Soo works on a murder case and realizes that his daughter is involved in the case. The discovery shakes everything in his professional beliefs and his relationship with his daughter. To protect his daughter, Jang Tae-Soo struggles to reveal the truth. It's difficult to handle a task when one's child might be involved in a crime. A single-parent household and strains between fa...

It's October and it's time for a Halloween post. I didn't watch Gyeongseong Creature Season 1 immediately. However, I decided to watch it at my own pace and watch the second season. I've noticed that Korean shows in Netflix are somewhat following the American format. The world's a digital market now and we learn from each other. Some American shows extend with one season after the other -- depending on the popularity. The same treatment was given to several Marvel Comics and DC Comics TV adaptations. Fortunately, most K-Dramas usually end after one season and the second season usually doesn't do as well.  The two seasons are set decades apart. As warned, there are spoilers. It's a fictionalized account of Imperial Japan's takeover of South Korea (before the split) in 1945. The second season takes place in 2024 -- with a not-so-surprising twist. Strangely, neither Jang Tae-Sang (Park Seo-Jun) and Yoon Chae-Ok (Han So Hee) aged between 1945 and 2024. It tu...

My fondness for crime drama happened in 2019 because of Kill It. However, after watching the K-Drama Justice -- I developed a liking for realistic fiction of a crime drama. I watched The Frog after I watched other East Asian dramas like Mind Game and Copycat Killer from Taiwan. Most of these dramas focus more on the investigation than the crime. In this case, The Frog focuses on the crime rather than the investigation.  True, the drama is just fiction. However, part of it was based on a real incident . People have to get their inspiration somewhere -- such as how Narco Saints is partly based on the Jonestown Massacre. What makes it a breath of fresh air for me is the use of older cast members. It's going to be a crime drama after all. Veteran actor Kim Yeon-Seok plays the main character Jeon Yeong-Ha. Yeong-Ha lived in a secluded town with his dying wife. Yeong-Ha's wife dies and he's stayed in that area. Yeong-Ha's daughter  Jeon Eui-Seon (played by Roh Yoon-Seo) pl...

It's been some time since I studied Korean history. After some time -- I decided to check some older Korean dramas that I hadn't watched on Netflix. I was disappointed that My Country: The New Age was bordered on realistic fiction rather than a historical show itself. The disclaimer gave it off that it was realistic fiction. Pretty much, it's trying to explore the end of the Goryeo Dynasty and the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty.  Two friends come into conflict over how the country should be run. Seo Hwi (Yang Se-jong) is the son of a swordsman wrongfully put to death. Nam Seon-ho (Woo Do-hwan) is the illegitimate son of a high ranking official. Both would have their own personal vendettas along the way. A political maelstrom is there since the two have different ideals on how to run the country. The conflict between the two sides can be fun to watch.  It should be interesting that the show has some history mixed into it. We have Yi Bang-Won (Taejong) -- based on the monarc...